Could someone help me please? My house is semi-detached. My neighbours have built a large extension which protrudes about 8 feet past the back elevation of my house. They have installed a condenser boiler and sited the flue so that it discharges directly into my back yard, at 90 degrees to the side elevation of their extension and parallel with the rear elevation of my house. The pipe reaches several inches on my side of the boundary wall and is approx 30cm from my rear wall, next to an air brick. My back yard is fairly enclosed and fills with steam when the flue discharges. Are there any regulations against them doing this?
Building regs - flues discharging on to adjoining properties
- Thread starter Marged
- Start date
Sponsored Links
- Joined
- 24 Aug 2009
- Messages
- 2,658
- Reaction score
- 279
- Country
Recalling other posts previously on here.
1) Pipe is not allowed to cross the boundary
2) Even if it stopped at boundary it is not allowed to discharge directly over the boundary.
Await more detailled replies or do a search -either here or in in Building
1) Pipe is not allowed to cross the boundary
2) Even if it stopped at boundary it is not allowed to discharge directly over the boundary.
Await more detailled replies or do a search -either here or in in Building
The building regs officer may or may not be able to do something, but I doubt it.
More useful for you would be the Environmental Health Officer at the council, as this will be deemed a statutory nuisance (EPA 1990), and the council can serve an abatement notice on the neighbour to sort it out
As for the flue crossing the boundary, this would be a trespass, but you would need to take a civil claim out in the county court. But a Solicitors letter may do the trick
More useful for you would be the Environmental Health Officer at the council, as this will be deemed a statutory nuisance (EPA 1990), and the council can serve an abatement notice on the neighbour to sort it out
As for the flue crossing the boundary, this would be a trespass, but you would need to take a civil claim out in the county court. But a Solicitors letter may do the trick
Sponsored Links
Approved Document J. Pages 48-49-50. Read your fill.
In a nut shell. Horizontal gas flue terminal must have at least 600mm clearance from facing wall, fence, building or property boundary.
If position is as you say, suggest you drop problem in lap of building control, and they should put enforcement on.
oldun
In a nut shell. Horizontal gas flue terminal must have at least 600mm clearance from facing wall, fence, building or property boundary.
If position is as you say, suggest you drop problem in lap of building control, and they should put enforcement on.
oldun
If the boiler is fairly new it should have been notified to Local Building Control, usually via Gas Safe Register (GSR) or previously CORGI.
GSR will offer a free visit if you log a complaint (via their website), but it will be visual only from your property unless the neighbour allows access, most registered engineers would know the current regs as already stated (minimum to a boundary, 300mm either side and 600mm in front) so it may be a non reg install.
If you have any doubts regarding fumes entering your property (ie window or air brick) call the gas emergency service asap 0800111999.
Most cases are normally sent to enviromental health regarding pluming over boundarys unless GSR can gain access then they can enforce the installer to comply with current regulations.
GSR will offer a free visit if you log a complaint (via their website), but it will be visual only from your property unless the neighbour allows access, most registered engineers would know the current regs as already stated (minimum to a boundary, 300mm either side and 600mm in front) so it may be a non reg install.
If you have any doubts regarding fumes entering your property (ie window or air brick) call the gas emergency service asap 0800111999.
Most cases are normally sent to enviromental health regarding pluming over boundarys unless GSR can gain access then they can enforce the installer to comply with current regulations.
I have this exact same issue. Gas safe won't come out unless my neighbour calls them which he won't do! Any ideas on what I can do or what I need to say to them to make them come out?
Will do tomorrow cheers.
Try gas safe again, they normally come out and carry out a visual only from your property and then give advice. Limited advice mind due to it being a visual and data protection. Building control and enviromental health is the answer. Altho the dimensions above are correct for all boilers (BS5440), manufactures insttructions also state the flue termination (plumeing) should not cause a nuisance.
Needs to be moved,only a numpty would install one there. Get onto gas safe, tell them you felt dizzy and passed out in your back garden while their boiler was running.
I complained to my neighbour a few years ago about the same thing, they kept telling me that it was ok when it went in etc and I was being a wringer etc... Eventually I managed to get them to have a new boiler fitted in loft with vertical terminal...
Don't give up!!!
I complained to my neighbour a few years ago about the same thing, they kept telling me that it was ok when it went in etc and I was being a wringer etc... Eventually I managed to get them to have a new boiler fitted in loft with vertical terminal...
Don't give up!!!
S
SaladFingers
They ought to have fitted a flue displacement kit.
Gas safe installer or not, some often deviate from regs, nothing surprises me.
Gas safe installer or not, some often deviate from regs, nothing surprises me.
Well, it seems this thread is a little old, but I'm hoping that some of you are still out there and getting notifications.
I have found something amiss in the Approved Document J (thank you to "theoldun" for the links - really helpful). It concerns a similar situation to this one, but Approved Document J is not clear. I've called Gas Safe about it and they just refer back to Approved Doc J, saying it is a Building Regs issue.
I've spoken to our local Building Regs and they agree that the App Doc J is unclear, at least for my situation. Yet my situation must be a pretty common one.
So, I have a domestic combi boiler, fitted donkey's years ago. The flue went out horizontally and vented over a neighbour's garden (hence the similarity to this earlier thread). It is nowhere near anything in their garden, very high up and they were fully in agreement to it being done when we first put it in. It's not near any of their buildings or a patio, like with the original poster.
We have come to replace it and the plumber says that he cannot put a flue to vent over someone else's garden. The permission issue is put to bed - the neighbours have been asked again, agree and will give that in writing. All measurements in App Doc J relating to whether it is safe or not are met. It's not near any windows, door, gutters etc. So it is not that it would be dangerous. Of course, there's a "but" coming.
When the plumber called Gas Safe to check, they seemed adamant that Approved Document J says that no flue can be put "within 600mm of a boundary". But that's not the wording in App Doc J. It says "From a surface or a boundary facing the terminal". That would absolutely make sense if the flue were venting towards a boundary (surface wall or imaginary line), but in this case it is not. Moreover, it cannot be said that the boundary is "facing" the flue terminal, since in fact the boundary wall is behind the flue outlet (the flue comes through it, though it is our wall).
So we've got a situation where everything could be safe, the neighbours happy, but the plumber is (rightly) concerned that he will be doing something wrong. Gas Safe say they can just tell us the current regs, but there is a real chance to misinterpret them here. Moreover they say it is a Building Regs issue. Building Regs say they agree that the regs are not clear for this situation.
What to do? What to do? Nobody seems interested in trying to find whomever writes these documents, so that a definitive written answer/decision can be made.
And to top it all, I have seen many installations where a flue goes out of a party wall and vents (quite safely) over a neighbour's roof, for example.
Hoping for some constructive discussion on it from all you experts out there.
I have found something amiss in the Approved Document J (thank you to "theoldun" for the links - really helpful). It concerns a similar situation to this one, but Approved Document J is not clear. I've called Gas Safe about it and they just refer back to Approved Doc J, saying it is a Building Regs issue.
I've spoken to our local Building Regs and they agree that the App Doc J is unclear, at least for my situation. Yet my situation must be a pretty common one.
So, I have a domestic combi boiler, fitted donkey's years ago. The flue went out horizontally and vented over a neighbour's garden (hence the similarity to this earlier thread). It is nowhere near anything in their garden, very high up and they were fully in agreement to it being done when we first put it in. It's not near any of their buildings or a patio, like with the original poster.
We have come to replace it and the plumber says that he cannot put a flue to vent over someone else's garden. The permission issue is put to bed - the neighbours have been asked again, agree and will give that in writing. All measurements in App Doc J relating to whether it is safe or not are met. It's not near any windows, door, gutters etc. So it is not that it would be dangerous. Of course, there's a "but" coming.
When the plumber called Gas Safe to check, they seemed adamant that Approved Document J says that no flue can be put "within 600mm of a boundary". But that's not the wording in App Doc J. It says "From a surface or a boundary facing the terminal". That would absolutely make sense if the flue were venting towards a boundary (surface wall or imaginary line), but in this case it is not. Moreover, it cannot be said that the boundary is "facing" the flue terminal, since in fact the boundary wall is behind the flue outlet (the flue comes through it, though it is our wall).
So we've got a situation where everything could be safe, the neighbours happy, but the plumber is (rightly) concerned that he will be doing something wrong. Gas Safe say they can just tell us the current regs, but there is a real chance to misinterpret them here. Moreover they say it is a Building Regs issue. Building Regs say they agree that the regs are not clear for this situation.
What to do? What to do? Nobody seems interested in trying to find whomever writes these documents, so that a definitive written answer/decision can be made.
And to top it all, I have seen many installations where a flue goes out of a party wall and vents (quite safely) over a neighbour's roof, for example.
Hoping for some constructive discussion on it from all you experts out there.
Best start a new thread.
But ...
The concept is that the flue should not be blocked if the neighbour decided to build or place something on his side of the boundary - which he is perfectly entitled to do.
I've come across this several times before, and it's not a definitive position or measurement that matters, rather the potential for the flue to be blocked.
If there is no possibility of building or placing something to block the flue, or if you have suitable arrangements/agreements in place to prevent the possibility, then that satisfies the GSIUR, b/regs and BS5440
But ...
The concept is that the flue should not be blocked if the neighbour decided to build or place something on his side of the boundary - which he is perfectly entitled to do.
I've come across this several times before, and it's not a definitive position or measurement that matters, rather the potential for the flue to be blocked.
If there is no possibility of building or placing something to block the flue, or if you have suitable arrangements/agreements in place to prevent the possibility, then that satisfies the GSIUR, b/regs and BS5440
DIYnot Local
Staff member
If you need to find a tradesperson to get your job done, please try our local search below, or if you are doing it yourself you can find suppliers local to you.
Select the supplier or trade you require, enter your location to begin your search.
Are you a trade or supplier? You can create your listing free at DIYnot Local
Sponsored Links
Similar threads
